February 12, 2021
Re: 2021 Provincial Budget Consultations Dear Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy, TTCriders is a membership-based organization of transit users in Toronto. During the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline workers in essential services, including health care and food systems, are relying on safe and accessible transit to get to work. We welcomed the Safe Restart Agreement, which provided emergency transit funding, but it will soon expire. We urge you to make the following investments in the 2021 Ontario Budget: 1) Invest in permanent transit operations funding to keep transit moving Ontario transit agencies rely on farebox revenues to fund their operating budgets, but ridership has dropped significantly. The TTC has an unfunded operating budget gap of $184.7 million in 2021, and is predicting budget shortfalls due to lower ridership for years to come. Ongoing operations funding from the provincial government is needed to maintain safe service levels. 2) Fund the TTC’s vehicle needs, including Scarborough RT replacement bus service The TTC urgently needs to purchase new buses, streetcars, and subway vehicles. In addition to vehicle needs identified by TTC staff in October 2020, for which Toronto has provided ⅓ of the necessary funding, the TTC needs at least 60 new buses by 2023 to provide replacement bus service when the Scarborough RT closes. Under the terms of the provincial upload agreement, the City of Toronto and Province of Ontario “will continue to discuss responsibility for funding costs for maintaining Line 3 (Scarborough RT) and/or replacement transit service in Scarborough as a result of the change in scope and delivery” of the Scarborough subway extension. Strong public transit systems will be essential to economic recovery and will create employment. CC: Hon. Caroline Mulroney, MPP Kinga Surma, MPP Vijay ThanigasalamFebruary 7, 2025 (Toronto, ON) – TTCriders, a membership-based transit advocacy group, released the following statement in response to Premier Ford’s promise that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open in 2025.
(Toronto, ON) – Transit advocacy organization TTCriders will hold a rally on February 19, 2025 to call for answers about the Eglinton Crosstown and Finch West LRT projects and ask all provincial parties to commit to solutions for more reliable transit.
Toronto’s transit and public spaces are torn. When City Hall can’t mend the fabric, tactical urbanists step up and stitch it back together